lifeblood: listlogs: 2001v04n165-news

ig-news-digest saturday, october 20 2001 volume 04 : number 165

today's subjects:
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  [ig-news] ajc.com review:  creativity rules as ballet, indigo girls join forces  [memememi]
  [ig-news] ig on tv tomorrow                         [brokenprayers@aol.com]
  [ig-news] re: ballet (spoilers)           [ron mcbay <usul@mindspring.com>]

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date: fri, 19 oct 2001 07:36:25 edt
from: memememi@aol.com
subject: [ig-news] ajc.com review: creativity rules as ballet, indigo girls join forces

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org]

dance, music review
creativity rules as ballet, indigo girls join forces

by julia bookman
for the atlanta journal-constitution

grab the nearest phone while seats are still to be had.

seriously.

atlanta ballet

"the indigo girls project"

with the indigo girls and the atlanta ballet. 8 p.m. today; 2 and 8 p.m.
saturday; and 2 and 7 p.m. sunday. $20-$60. fox theatre, 404-817-8700,
www.atlantaballet.com.

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- --

these times are strange and unsettling, and the best antidote -- without a
doubt the hottest ticket in town -- is "shed your skin," a sizzling, defiant
dose of hard-driving attitude gorgeously vocalized by the indigo girls and
interpreted in a fresh, hip, no-holds-barred dance by the atlanta ballet.

this groundbreaking collaboration between the decatur-based rock duo
and the
city's 72-year-old classical ballet company takes its name from one of
seven
indigo girls tunes that make up the score of the seven-scene work. this
could
be the fastest 45 minutes fox audiences have ever experienced. think
"rent"
meets "west side story," late in the year 2001.

in margo sappington's gutsy, abstract rock ballet, 19 dancers play eager
and
adoring groupies at a rock concert. they're kids itching and skipping to
break loose, then young adults on the verge of unknown tomorrows.
unbridled
energy burns. abandon rules. soul-searching and creative
self-expression run
rampant.

the combination of sound and movement creates a mood of
determination,
euphoria and hope. the indigo girls -- emily saliers and amy ray -- each
have
their solos and, as ever, provide lovely harmonies that chill the soul. the
personality-rich atlanta ballet and world-famous duo are equal partners
here:
every kick, shimmy and leap, every chord strummed and note sung.

while they rock on, seeming to relish this new experience, the dancers
slide
and slither, writhe and wriggle, twist and spin -- and then some. powerful
arabesques, commanding jetes, sky-high extensions and other classic
ballet
moves inform the piece, but the undulations don't quit either. mod
everyday
clothes are shed (yes, shed before our eyes) for shiny metallic get-ups
and
bodysuits -- silver, gold, bronze, rust.

what an exciting way to begin the new season. what a brilliant idea by
artistic director john mcfall, to put the indigo girls and their backup band
live and onstage with his company of energetic, individually expressive
dancers. and what sure-fire vision by sappington, a former joffrey ballet
and
broadway dancer, who sifted through the indigos' canon of songs to bring
forth scenes like "scooter boys" (man, are these nine "boys" hot, as in
scorching), "everything in its own time" (terrific balletic tai chi,
especially from wei dongsheng) and "ghost" (an achingly emotional
segment
with sensual undercurrents). the full company changes into an array of
snazzy
black costumes for the final scene, "touch me fall," which is rigorous and
eloquent in equal measure, building in intensity just as the indigos drive it
home, too.

it's almost mystifying to recall that these same dancers began the evening
exhibiting their long years of training in an elegant staging of george
balanchine's 1934 neoclassical "serenade," set to tchaikovsky's
serenade in c
major for string orchestra. there were lots of willowy arms, light and lovely
footwork and a series of pretty and unusual poses for the corps of
ballerinas. were these lovely ladies in sheer-blue romantic (ankle-length)
tutus really the same ones who were about to rock out with the indigo
girls?
hard to believe, but true, and spectacular.

- -----------------------------------------------------------------
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date: fri, 19 oct 2001 14:20:16 edt
from: brokenprayers@aol.com
subject: [ig-news] ig on tv tomorrow

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

not sure if this old news but
for those of you who have bet jazz...

the show "profiles at wolftrap" features a short back stage interview with
amy & emily

sat 7am & 3pm
sun 3am
(times are eastern)
not sure if this old news but
for those of you who have bet jazz...

the show "profiles at wolftrap" features a short back stage interview
with amy & emily

sat 7am & 3pm
sun 3am
(times are eastern)

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date: fri, 19 oct 2001 13:07:19 -0400
from: ron mcbay <usul@mindspring.com>
subject: [ig-news] re: ballet (spoilers)

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

hey,

  let me add my agreement that this show is well worth seeing, especially
since
it's a on-off project that won't be done again after this weekend.  hopefully,
they'll record it.  it's very interesting.  i enjoyed the "shed your skin"
section a lot more than the traditional ballet "serenade" that precedes it
(but
i'm not a big ballet fan).

  one of the things i wasn't sure about beforehand was what to wear.  i
wound up
wearing a jacket with no tie over a dress shirt and brown jeans.  some
people
had on a full suit and others were totally casual.  onstage, the orchestra
members had on dressy black outfits (which, i guess, is traditional so
they
don't upstage the dancers).  emily was also decked out in a dressy black
shirt/pants outfit and the backup band was in black, also.  amy, however,
had on
a print shirt and blue jeans like she would at any other show.  since
they're
featured performers and not really supporting musicians, i'm not sure
which look
was more correct but the two of them weren't on the same page.

  i sat way up in the balcony, which on the one hand was pretty far away
but on
the other hand was probably better because you got a better vantage point
to see
all the dancers than if you were at groundlevel with "better" seats.  it all
worked really well.  for the first song, "least complicated" amy and emily
were
all the way out at the front of the stage on their own.  for all the other
songs, they were on an elevated stage with the band with the dancers to
the
right and the orchestra in the pit below the front of the stage.  there wasn't
a
whole lot of orchestral accompaniment.  there was some in "caramia"
and "ghost"
and a lot in the finale, "touch me fall".  the interpretation of "ghost" was
especially moving.  "scooter boys", "shed your skin" and "touch me fall"
were
all also really good.

  in the stagebill, they described amy and emily as actively promoting
several
causes but didn't mention gay rights.  i had wondered whether they would
mention
that since that's usually the first thing that gets mentioned when there's a
brief bio of them.  the other thing i wondered was about the
choreography.  all
of the paired-up dancing was male/female as it turned out.  there was
one guy
who danced all of his numbers in a skirt but even his paired-up dance
partners
were female.  guess they didn't want to scare away the traditional ballet
patrons they're trying to woo.

  the whole program is very short (under two hours including a long,
half-hour
intermission).  the "shed your skin" portion is listed as running 40
minutes.  i
wouldn't oversell the experience.  it's not really an ig concert.  they're
pretty reigned-in and can't talk between songs or anything.  but you're not
going to see anything like this any time soon so make the effort to catch it
if
you can.  for what it is, it's very good.

ron
- --
ron mcbay                | yeah, but i'm here to relieve
usul@mindspring.com      | the ones that fought for you & fought for me.
www.mindspring.com/~usul | yeah, i wanna relate.  put away your hate.
              /hoops/    | you're on your honor to be on my side.
              /view.html | surely there are some things won't be denied.
                         | -- "on your honor", amy ray

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end of ig-news-digest v4 #165
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